Chapter Overview
Summary
Exodus 39 completes the priestly-garment construction and presents the finished tabernacle to Moses (vv. 1–43). The chapter closes with Moses' inspection and blessing (vv. 42–43) — a Genesis 1:31 echo ('God saw everything he had made, and indeed it was very good'). The LXX-MT divergence in chapter numbering is especially significant here: LXX 39 corresponds roughly to MT 39:1, 39:32–43 plus some material rearranged.
Notable Variants
The 'just as the LORD had commanded Moses' refrain appears seven times in this chapter — a Genesis-1-style obedience doxology; the 'Moses blessed them' conclusion at 39:43 parallels the divine blessing-after-creation-finished pattern.
Structural Notes
LXX 39 diverges from MT 39 more than most chapters due to the garment-before-structure reorganization that climaxes here. TCR follows MT numbering.
From the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, they produced the woven garments for service in the sanctuary. They also made the sacred garments for Aaron, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Priestly-garments production tracks MT.
They constructed the ephod from gold thread, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely twisted linen.
Ephod construction tracks MT, parallel to 28:6.
They hammered gold sheets thin and cut them into threads to be woven into the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and the fine linen — the work of a skilled designer.
Gold-thread preparation tracks MT. The detail of hammering gold into threads for weaving is unique to the execution account.
They made shoulder pieces for the ephod, attached at its two upper corners so it could be joined together.
Shoulder pieces track MT.
The skillfully woven band of the ephod was of one piece with it, made the same way — from gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely twisted linen, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Skillfully woven band tracks MT.
They prepared the onyx stones, mounted in gold filigree settings, engraved like a seal with the names of Israel's sons.
Onyx stones with tribal names track MT.
They fastened the stones to the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Memorial stones on shoulder pieces track MT.
They fashioned the breastpiece with skilled design, matching the workmanship of the ephod — from gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely twisted linen.
Breastpiece construction tracks MT.
The breastpiece was square when folded double — a span long and a span wide.
Square-folded-double dimensions track MT.
They mounted four rows of gemstones on it. The first row contained a carnelian, a topaz, and an emerald.
First row of stones tracks MT.
The second row had a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond.
Second row tracks MT.
The third row held a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst.
Third row tracks MT.
The fourth row contained a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper — each set in a gold filigree mounting.
Fourth row tracks MT.
The stones corresponded to the names of Israel's sons — twelve in all, one for each tribe, each engraved like a seal with the name of one tribe.
Twelve-stones-for-twelve-tribes correspondence tracks MT. Revelation 21:19–20's twelve New Jerusalem foundation stones largely draws from this Exodus 39:10–14 list.
For the breastpiece they crafted braided chains of pure gold, twisted like cords.
Braided gold chains track MT.
They made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, attaching the rings to the two upper corners of the breastpiece.
Gold filigree settings and rings track MT.
They attached the two gold braided chains to the two rings at the corners of the breastpiece.
Chains through rings track MT.
The other two ends of the braided chains they fastened to the two filigree settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front.
Chain-to-shoulder-piece attachment tracks MT.
They made two more gold rings and attached them to the two lower corners of the breastpiece, on its inner edge next to the ephod.
Lower-corner rings track MT.
They made two additional gold rings and fastened them to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at the front near its seam, just above the woven band.
Additional rings on shoulder-pieces track MT.
They tied the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that it rested on the woven band and would not come loose from the ephod — just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Blue-cord binding tracks MT.
They wove the robe of the ephod entirely from blue yarn.
Blue-yarn woven robe tracks MT.
It had an opening at the center, like the collar of a coat of armor, with a reinforced band around the opening so it would not tear.
Coat-of-armor-style neck-opening tracks MT.
On the lower hem of the robe they made pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and twisted linen.
Pomegranates on hem track MT.
They also made bells of pure gold and placed them between the pomegranates around the lower hem of the robe —
Gold bells between pomegranates track MT.
alternating a bell and a pomegranate all around the hem of the robe worn for ministry, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Alternating pattern tracks MT.
They wove tunics of fine linen for Aaron and his sons,
Fine linen tunics track MT.
along with a turban of fine linen, decorative headbands of fine linen, and undergarments of finely twisted linen,
Turban and undergarments track MT.
and a sash of finely twisted linen with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn — embroidered work — just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Embroidered sash tracks MT.
They made the medallion — the sacred diadem — from pure gold, and inscribed on it like a seal engraving: HOLY TO THE LORD.
Gold diadem with HOLY TO THE LORD inscription tracks MT, parallel to 28:36. The Revelation 22:4 'his name on their foreheads' echo remains pointed.
They attached a blue cord to fasten it to the top of the turban, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Blue cord for diadem tracks MT.
So all the work on the tabernacle — the tent of meeting — was completed. The Israelites had done everything precisely as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Masoretic (WLC)
וַתֵּכֶל כָּל־עֲבֹדַת מִשְׁכַּן אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וַיַּעֲשׂוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה אֶת־מֹשֶׁה
So all the work on the tabernacle — the tent of meeting — was completed. The Israelites had done everything precisely as the LORD had commanded Moses
Septuagint (LXX)
καὶ συνετελέσθη πᾶν τὸ ἔργον τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου
And all the work on the tent of testimony was completed
The completion formula 'suneteleithē pan to ergon' ('all the work was completed') echoes Genesis 2:1 LXX: 'kai synetelesthēsan ho ouranos kai hē gē kai pas ho kosmos autōn' ('and the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed').
The tabernacle-construction is programmatically modeled on the creation-completion. Hebrews 3:3–4 ('he who built all things is God') plays on this creation/tabernacle typology.
They presented the tabernacle to Moses: the tent with all its furnishings — its clasps, frames, crossbars, posts, and bases;
Presentation to Moses tracks MT.
the covering of ram skins dyed red, the covering of fine leather, and the screening curtain;
The coverings and screening curtain tracks MT.
the ark of the testimony with its poles and the mercy seat;
The ark and mercy seat tracks MT.
the table with all its utensils and the bread of the Presence;
The table and bread of the Presence tracks MT.
the pure gold lampstand with its row of lamps and all its accessories, together with the oil for illumination;
The lampstand and lamps tracks MT.
the gold altar, the anointing oil, the fragrant incense, and the screen for the tent entrance;
The gold incense altar, anointing oil, incense, screen track MT.
the bronze altar with its bronze grating, its poles, and all its equipment; the basin with its stand;
The bronze altar, grating, basin, stand track MT.
the curtains of the courtyard with their posts and bases, the screen for the courtyard entrance, its ropes and tent pegs, and all the equipment for the service of the tabernacle — the tent of meeting;
Courtyard and equipment tracks MT.
the woven garments for service in the sanctuary, the sacred garments for Aaron the priest, and his sons' garments for priestly service.
Priestly garments track MT.
The Israelites carried out all the work exactly as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Exact-as-commanded completion tracks MT. The 'just as the LORD had commanded Moses' refrain — echoed seven times through this chapter — functions as a tabernacle-construction doxology.
Moses inspected all the work, and indeed they had accomplished it just as the LORD had commanded. So Moses blessed them.
Masoretic (WLC)
וַיַּרְא מֹשֶׁה אֶת־כָּל־הַמְּלָאכָה וְהִנֵּה עָשׂוּ אֹתָהּ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה כֵּן עָשׂוּ וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם מֹשֶׁה
Moses inspected all the work, and indeed they had accomplished it just as the LORD had commanded. So Moses blessed them
Septuagint (LXX)
καὶ εἶδεν Μωυσῆς πάντα τὰ ἔργα καὶ ἦσαν πεποιηκότες αὐτὰ καθὰ συνέταξεν κύριος τῷ Μωυσῇ καὶ ηὐλόγησεν αὐτοὺς Μωυσῆς
And Moses saw all the works and they had done them as the Lord had instructed Moses, and Moses blessed them
Moses' inspection-and-blessing of the completed tabernacle echoes Genesis 1:31: 'kai eiden ho theos ta panta hosa epoiēsen kai idou kala lian' ('God saw all that he had made, and indeed it was very good'). The tabernacle is the cultic equivalent of a new creation; Moses plays the divine role in its evaluative seeing-and-blessing.
The Genesis-1 / Exodus-39 parallel has been developed at length in rabbinic and patristic exegesis: the tabernacle is the world-in-miniature, a microcosm reflecting the macrocosm of creation. Josephus (Antiquities 3.180) and Philo explicitly develop this typology.
The 'Moses blessed them' closes the tabernacle-construction with a priestly benediction on the skilled workers — anticipating the priestly-blessing of Numbers 6:22–27.